Media+Headlines #07: The Star’s Foray into Digital & Mobile

One of the things that we have waited for with bated breath is for The Star to create a digital edition of its newspaper for the iPad. And behold in April our wish was granted.

Malaysia’s most read English daily newspaper, The Star, strengthens its presence in the digital field with an e-paper available on computers, smartphones and tablets. One of the key industry milestone that led to this was the inclusion of e-paper readership into the circulation figures of the newspaper. So, whether readers read The Star in its printed form or in its e-paper format, they are both counted.

Not only do we feel that this move may enable The Star to recapture the declining readership newspapers have been experiencing in recent times, but this may also open up the possibilities of increasing The Star’s readership with a target audience that prefers newspaper-reading experience in a digital form.

The main features of The Star on iPad include clear, hi-res photos, interactive graphics, smart navigation, videos and soundbites. Readers are also able to share the stories within the app through multiple ways. With these modern, interactive elements, The Star is hoping to draw in a younger, more mobile and connected crowd.

For the time being, The Star is offering a special combo that bundles both the iPad e-paper edition with the printed edition. It’ll be interesting to see the figures of those who subscribe to this bundle as it will be a good barometer on whether future print readership can be salvaged in an e-paper format.

The Star Metro pullout focuses on entrepreneurship with MetroBiz

The Star’s community-centric pullout, Star Metro, introduces a new section called MetroBiz. The focus of MetroBiz is on entrepreneurship, SMEs and local business trends.

Every day, MetroBiz takes on a specialized focus. Tuesdays are dedicated to technology and gadgets and women at work, Wednesdays feature Face-Shui (face Feng Shui) and a bi-weekly watch focus, and so on. Every day, MetroBiz looks at events and product launches and young entrepreneurs or emerging trends.

MetroBiz provides a different view of the growing business and economic scene in Malaysia. The new, insightful perspective is peppered with local anecdotes and is bound to make waves and inspire a younger generation of entrepreneurs.

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Media+Headlines is a brand new series of articles on what’s happening in and around the media scene. Combining resources from our PR, advertising and media agency teams in Malaysia, we’ll be bringing you updates and analysis on the latest trends in publishing, editorial and events related to newspapers, magazines, television and other media in Malaysia.